When it comes to losing weight, something that can stop you from being able to do a lot of the exercises that are recommended is having bad knees.

If your knees are not in the best state, then doing a lot of exercises that are recommended for losing weight can range from incredibly painful, to just being dangerous to do.

However, there are still some exercises that you can do that will help you with losing weight, as well as maintaining an active lifestyle.

So, if you are worried about how your knee pain is holding you back, and are tired of exercises that hurt your knees, this guide will have all the information you need!

What Causes Knee Pain

Before we move onto the specific reasons why exercising with knee pain is recommended, it is important to know why you are suffering from knee pain in the first place.

One of the most common causes for knee pain, especially for older people is arthritis, while this can be an issue at any age, it is especially common with this group.

This is a chronic condition and it can be caused by plenty of different issues.

If you think you could have arthritis, it is worth getting diagnosed because there are some treatments to improve the symptoms, however, it is something those who suffer from it have to work around for most of their life.

Other common reasons you could be experiencing knee pain are if you are dealing with an injury, or overuse of the joints.

For injury, these can be gotten in a variety of ways, but they are common in sports. If you have gotten an injury, these often heal, but they will not heal if you continue to put stress on the joint.

And the overuse of the knees can happen if the knees face repeated trauma or overdoing certain activities, this comes in the form of bursitis, tendonitis, and some other conditions.

What Are The Benefits Of Exercising

It is well known that exercising is something you should do, but it is not as well known that exercising commonly can help with arthritic knee pain.

For example, certain types of exercise can aid in alleviating stiffness and swelling, as well as strengthening muscles in the knee area, and improving the range of motion.

Of course exercising often aids in losing weight, and if you lose weight, you will be alleviating the load on your knees which can also help with healing them.

So, while not all knee pain conditions can be alleviated by losing weight, it can help a lot of them.

Exercises To Try If You Suffer From Knee Pain

The main muscles that aid in supporting the knees are the quads, so if you have weak quads, this often leads to knee instability, and this can make knee pain even worse.

This is why you should make your quads as strong as possible so you can avoid this!

Another muscle you should focus on is hamstrings, these also support the knee, so these should be strengthened as well.

You want to aim to try low impact exercises that will stretch and strengthen your knee and the muscles that support it.

One of the most common, but useful forms of exercise that can help with knee pain is walking.

This will lubricate your joints, as well as burn calories, you will be increasing your blood flow to the right muscles. With knee pain, the best walks to try are long and slow.

Cycling is also a great form of exercise to try if you are suffering from knee pain, it is aerobic exercise that strengthens the key muscles, especially the quads.

The peddling will also strengthen the glutes and the hamstrings as well.

One of the most common forms of exercise to aid those with knee pain are those that take place in water. This is usually water aerobics or swimming.

The water is buoyant and this will help you exercise without needing to put too much pressure on your joint. You can also try strength training, some weight machines have extensions that can help avoid stress on the knees.

We recommend asking a trainer at a gym to talk you through specific weight exercises you can try that will not strain your knee.

Finally, there are also forms of exercise that focus on stretching, this includes activities like Pilates and yoga as well.

When trying these exercises, start small and work your way up, and make sure to listen if you are in pain. 

Exercises To Avoid If You Suffer From Knee Pain

When you are exercising to lose weight, people often ignore the pain they are feeling when doing this, however, if you suffer from knee pain, ignoring this pain can sometimes cause more harm than good.

While there are specific exercises that should be avoided since they put stress on your knee, the main advice to follow is to listen to your healthcare provider and your physical therapist, as they know your condition best and they can recommend specific exercises that will aid you in the way that is most healthy.

You also want to be listening to your body and not try to work through knee pain.

To avoid injuries, it is best to keep a close eye on your form, as well as avoid exercises like squats, running, and lunges that overextend and put pressure on your knees!

Summary – Physical Therapy

While this advice about certain exercises is incredibly useful, what can often be more useful than these exercises is proper prescribed physical therapy.

Physical therapy often comes in the form of specific exercises that are designed to alleviate pain from your condition, and if you are prescribed it, it is something that you should dedicate yourself to.

On top of physical therapy, there are also modalities like heat and ice, as well as massages that help with alleviating pain.

Combining a healthy schedule of physical therapy, and appropriate exercises for   condition, can be a great tool to aid with weight loss.